Very Rare Wild Cobalt

Here is a photo of one of my Wild Cobalts. It is a rare discus as noted in Wild Caught Discus by Bernd Degen.

I'm still working on photo issues. As you see I'm no photographer. I do graphics editing but not phototaking. ;D Thanks for looking.

Tank status and experiences:
75-G tank
soft water direct from faucet into bucket then tank
never do acid testing (only but one time)
never do ammonia testing
Temps range: 84-88
keep stock of tannins (Peat) for medicinal use & softening, when needed
keep two heaters running (150w and 100w)
keep stock supply of 100% natural Tea Tree Oil
keep stock of Clout tabs
Rena airpump set for tank of 150gallon
cellpore log (to break fish waste into safe bioproduct)
glass rock in corner and huge driftwood ornament for baby discus, Panda Corys (6), Clown Loaches (11)
total species residing in community tank: about 37
have proven pairs and spawned several times (no litter survived)

Just wanted to share my experiences. Some folks have asked me so I decide to write it out again.

I do get algae if I don't use my TTO to clean glass. When I use TTO I get no algae for weeks or perhaps a month. It helps a lot to clear up bacteria and algae and watermites.

**Angie**

P.S. Use small mists of water-diluted bleach to dissolve buildup of algae and/or lessen the bacteria count (dissinfect) on a towel.

This is the tank shot I was trying to load but it was at 115 mb capacity (the limit is 85 kilobytes, yipes!).

Sorry folks, will be updating pictures shortly.

DARN, DARN, DARN, DARN ..... > These stupid cameras!! As simple as they are supposed to be, is the more difficult they are to work!!!! Shiiiish....

I'm calling in the photocalvary! LOL Okay, Jeanie, I know you have good photography skills, how far are you from me? Mench, you're nearby, wanna bring your camera since you're passing my way to Queens??? What about Frank from LI? Darn, it's either I get a movie camera and make small clips or get you folks addresses and send you a pix. ;D

Only kidding. More experiences will make me a professional photagrawfa! ;D

[Fishin dude]

F. g.
I have the same book by Degen.
He has pics of many domestic bred in that particular book.
The closest I see is the wild Royal Blue with reference to your photo.
Maybe a Red Turquoise.....I had one that looked identical from a breeder in Penang.
To my knowledge, the Cobalt was developed by the likes of Jack Wattley.

Hi, Fishin Dude:

The photos did not clearly show well. I will be taking better photos of this Wild Cobalt soon.

From what I gather is that yes, you're right, Jack Wattley began the Cobalt series. But from what I've also gathered is that it was found in rivers in South America prior to JW's project!! [More will come later about this as I get more facts from S.A.]

The three Cobalts I got were from a local fish shop and the owner of that shop said that they were direct from the rivers thru his distributorship in S.A.. I have to take his word on it. But in the Degen book, I see on page 23 the picture you're referring to (Turquoise Blue). I have one that looks like it. But the one I try to capture is a bit different.

[Fishin dude]

[quote author=Fry Girl link=board=22;threadid=17251;start=0#msg178513 date=1079713063]
Hi, Fishin Dude:

The photos did not clearly show well. I will be taking better photos of this Wild Cobalt soon.

From what I gather is that yes, you're right, Jack Wattley began the Cobalt series. But from what I've also gathered is that it was found in rivers in South America prior to JW's project!! [More will come later about this as I get more facts from S.A.]

The three Cobalts I got were from a local fish shop and the owner of that shop said that they were direct from the rivers thru his distributorship in S.A.. I have to take his word on it. But in the Degen book, I see on page 23 the picture you're referring to (Turquoise Blue). I have one that looks like it. But the one I try to capture is a bit different.


[/quote]

F. g.
Page 23 is the wild brown....the one on the cover. Must have used smoke and mirrors for that pic LOL.
Pg. 31 is the Royal Blue
If there is such a fish as a "wild cobalt" that is new to me.
Could you have the LFS owner post more info on this thread??

Hi again,

Page 23 of A Discus Reference by Bernd Degen is a Wild Cobalt and so is the photo on page 10 of the Wild Caught Discus by Bernd Degen. Two different books here. LOL

--angie--

[wildthing]

:-\ ???

[quote author=Fry Girl link=board=22;threadid=17251;start=0#msg178513 date=1079713063]
Hi, Fishin Dude:

The photos did not clearly show well. I will be taking better photos of this Wild Cobalt soon.

From what I gather is that yes, you're right, Jack Wattley began the Cobalt series. But from what I've also gathered is that it was found in rivers in South America prior to JW's project!! [More will come later about this as I get more facts from S.A.]

The three Cobalts I got were from a local fish shop and the owner of that shop said that they were direct from the rivers thru his distributorship in S.A.. I have to take his word on it. But in the Degen book, I see on page 23 the picture you're referring to (Turquoise Blue). I have one that looks like it. But the one I try to capture is a bit different. [/quote]

[quote author=Fishin dude link=board=22;threadid=17251;start=0#msg178538 date=1079722386]
F. g.
Page 23 is the wild brown....the one on the cover. Must have used smoke and mirrors for that pic LOL.
Pg. 31 is the Royal Blue
If there is such a fish as a "wild cobalt" that is new to me.
Could you have the LFS owner post more info on this thread??
[/quote]

Hi Fishingdude:

I think you are right! I tried to contact the LFS manager who told me they were Wild Cobalts but she doesn't quite remember as she gets from two or more distributors. She gathered it came from Florida. ???

This one picture I show I see that people have similar photos of it but not quite the same colors. Someone described it as blueberry on an auction. The other two I have has a black circular ring to it like an outline of the discus. This too has an attribute of the Wild Blues (Wild Royal Blue/Wild Cobalt). So many names but so many variations as well.

Thanks for correcting me. --Angie--

P.S. I will ask the LFS manager to log in as a guest to explain.

Hi, David

[wildthing]

Angie...trippin' again?
LOL

...from what I can see in that dark picture that is ABSOLUTELY NOT a wild fish....
it looks like a common or garden variety tank bred Red Turquoise to me...a bit runted with a big eye....
I am sorry to say that your local lfs is full of crap if they are trying to sell it as a wild cobalt...there is NO SUCH THING....

Sadly most LFS are staffed with ignorant dipsticks who know next to nothing about the fish they are selling but know quite a bit about how to sell it....PT Barnum would be proud.

Also...Jack Wattley originally bred the solid Turquoise Discus...while some quite colorful fish are found in the wild it takes generations to make those colors show nicely, breed true & not fade out with the change of water between the river & our tanks.. in other words....Jack worked long & hard with selective breeding to produce his original turquoise discus & I think your opinion trivializes that huge effort & result and you are basicly mistaken..

As for the books you refer to...IMO there is a lot of second hand information in them that is basicly totally wrong, especially the Degen ones....the pictures are nice & that is pretty much all those books are good for....forget about the ID given in them...those books serve better as door stops than as information resources.
In one of those Degen books on wilds ( I don;t have it here in front of me) the same fish (a brown Discus I seem to recall) is shown twice in different sections of the book using the identical photo but just cropped a little differently ( I remember a blue background to the photos also) with 2 totally different explanations for its slight heckel bar...one saying 'it couldn't possibly be"...the other saying " it must be'....in other words a complete self contradiction, & because of the cropping I have to suppose it is a deliberate deception to pad out the book.
Maybe one of Degen's books on how to make canaries pink would be more useful?
Did you know that 'dear old' Herb Axlrod himself stated that the spots on red spotted discus were a disease...this is the level of ignorance those guys were dishing out back then....

Thank God for Simply that makes it possible to see through the sham & to get good information from people that are not trying to sell you something.

jmo

David




"you can fool some of the people all of the time, & all of the people some of the time"
" there is a sucker born every minute"

[Fishin dude]

Hey Wild t.
Don't "sugar coat" it dude. LOL
I got a couple wild fish this weekend that will blow your mind....ironic the discussion on wild caught cobalts.
I will try to post a pic as soon I get some quality pixels that will do the fish justice.

Thanks, Dave! ;D As you were explaining the different photos in those two books, I think I see what you're talking about! :-[ The lighting technique in capturing a true color on a fish can make a world of difference. And so can the fish itself (charmeleon or metamorphis). I see my fish change colors all the time. Not only during water changes but in feeding as well.

Here all along I thought I was coming off with a "rare" purchase. ;D

But you know, it's mine. I gotta look at it like that. Oh, well.

I believe JW is an amazing breeder. I don't second guess his work at all. I never had any of his fish, but I believe some of our fish may have come from his breeding quarters (like third, fourth, twentieth generation). ;D A lot of folks on this forum (such as yourself Dave) are great breeders too! I applaud many of you.

Fishindude: Dave didn't sugarcoat. Or maybe he did? 8)

--angie--

[wildthing]

Angie..thanks for not taking offence...I am not such a good breeder & have done nothing remarkable in that field........
Follow this simple rule with discus ...just as in life...
"If it looks or sounds too good to be true than it probably is!"




Be well

David

:-\ ??? trippin again..your too much David. ;D ;D

[jim_shedden]

David
I have some wilds and feel that I am getting fairly knowledgeable about them. But when there is something that I don't understand and David provides an answer, I feel I can take it to the bank.

Frygirl: Can you get a better pic? I would like to take a look at your fish and the "Blue Peruvian" in the other post. It would be interesting.
Jim